Star Wars is nearly here, and Star Trek will be back!

So, we are just over a month from one of the biggest films to hit the cinemas – The Force Awakens! I’m stoked for this now – the final trailer was simply sensational, the TV spots are starting to appear and we’ve even seen a Japanese trailer – one that still doesn’t offer up any plot details, but teases a couple of different scenes.

I’m now avoiding the iMDB page for the film – and in fact, most of my usual sci-fi haunts, to make sure I avoid any spoilers. The work done by JJ and the team to prevent leaks so far has been tremendous, but it only takes one malcontent to ruin it for everyone else, and therefore I’m not going to risk accidentally ruining the film for myself.

What I really want to do is go out and buy a Star Wars advent calendar – and use that to count down to the film!

As the world prepares for The Force Awakens and the excitement builds for that, another popular sci-fi franchise has recently released big news. With Star Trek’s 50th anniversary next year (being marked by the new film Star Trek Beyond), American studio CBS has announced it is producing a new Star Trek series, due to debut early 2017. It is big news for a franchise that was suffering badly at the end of Enterprise. Whether you like the 2009 reboot and its sequel, Into Darkness, the new films have reignited interest in the Star Trek franchise and without those films, it strikes me as unlikely that a new TV show would even be considered, much less be made.

It’s not yet known for certain whether the new show will be set in the ‘prime’ universe (the one inhabited by TOS, TNG, DS9 and VOY), or if it will be part of the rebooted universe. The official statement on the subject that the series will be unrelated to Star Trek Beyond, but this doesn’t necessarily mean it will be part of the prime universe.

One thing that does have me concerned is the decision to air this show via a subscription service – though to be honest, I have no idea how this will affect me here in the UK. It might be of no consequence – Star Trek shows usually air on Sky TV before anything else, and so the chances are this will remain the case, though nothing is certain.

A lot is happening with both Trek and Wars over the next few years. I can’t wait!